Aerosol containers and other pressurized containers have widespread usage in pharmaceuticals, homes and industries. When disposing of such containers, both safety and environmental hazards are encountered. A safety hazard is encountered when heating the containers excessively or when crushing the containers, as both of these actions can cause the container to explode. An environmental hazard may exist when the residual contents released from these containers are among those regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA regulations mandate that certain businesses and industries dispose of the contents of such containers according to EPA guidelines. In the case of aerosol pharmaceuticals, the FDA mandates guidelines for disposal of the containers. Whether or not the contents of such containers are in fact regulated, the EPA and/or the FDA mandates that all pressurized containers be punctured prior to disposal.
When the EPA and/or the FDA regulates the contents of the container, as is the case with chlorofluorocarbons, such as Freon, mere puncturing is not sufficient. Guidelines also require that the fluids removed from the punctured containers be stored and not be allowed to escape into the atmosphere. Several puncturing devices currently exist, but they do not maintain a sealed environment, do not allow rapid mass processing of pressurized containers, do not completely empty the containers, or do not collect escaping fluids including gases.
Specifically, present recovery and removal devices for pressurized containers have so far suffered from the following disadvantages:
1. A small number of punctures are created, and/or the punctures are ineffectively placed for removal of liquids.
2. Gases are not restrained from escaping into the atmosphere.
3. Only a certain size of container can be punctured.
4. The disclosed process empties one container at a time and is therefore not effective for bulk removal and recovery.
5. The gases to be removed are intermixed with compressed air rather than evacuated, permitting hazardous gases and fluids to remain in diluted form in the container.
6. Removed gases and fluids are not recovered into storage containers, thereby failing to meet EPA and/or FDA guidelines in some cases.
7. The emptied containers are not collected into storage bins for efficient disposal in an industrial setting.